Medical & Public Health Laboratory Microbiology Fellowship
The Department of Pathology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine welcomes applicants to the American Society of Microbiology (ASM)–accredited postgraduate training program in medical and public health laboratory microbiology.
The two-year program is open to postdoctoral-level candidates (e.g., PhD, MD, ScD, DO and DrPH); however, we do not accept Doctorate of Clinical Laboratory Sciences (DCLS) or PharmD degrees for admission.
Upon successful completion of the program, the fellow will be competent to direct clinical and public health microbiology laboratories and qualified for certification by the American Board of Medical Microbiology (Committee on Postgraduate Educational Programs of the American Society for Microbiology) in medical and public health laboratory microbiology.
Participating laboratories include the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Immunology Laboratory and Diagnostic Molecular Biology Laboratory at Northwestern Memorial Hospital; the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital Microbiology Laboratory; and the Illinois Department of Health Laboratory Divisions in Chicago.
Current Recruitment:
All positions have been filled for the 2027-2029 academic year. The next application cycle will open in 2028 for the 2029-2031 academic year.
About the Fellowship
Education & Research
Fellow training follows guidelines from the ASM Committee on Postgraduate Educational Programs (CPEP). The program includes education in clinical infectious diseases, infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, molecular epidemiology and public health microbiology. Training activities are designed to help trainees progressively gain insights into the pathophysiology, clinical presentation and therapy of infectious diseases and develop a deep understanding of the principles of diagnostic testing methodologies.
Clinical Experience
The program provides a variety of learning environments that allow fellows to use integrated knowledge of microbial pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management to solve clinical problems. Real-time case-based learning will be conducted during daily laboratory rounds. Fellows will have the opportunity to accompany the adult and pediatric infectious diseases consult teams on ward rounds once a week, actively participate in case assessment and management, and serve as expert resources to these clinical services.
Eligibility & Requirements
The program requires qualified applicants with a doctoral degree (PhD, MD, ScD, DO, ScD, DrPH, DVM, etc.) and graduate education in microbiology or immunology. Completion of an ACGME residency is required for applicants with an MD or DO. Desirable prerequisites for the postgraduate training program may include some of the following courses: epidemiology, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, histology, pathogenesis of infection and statistics.
How to Apply
The program accepts one trainee every other year. Applications will be accepted starting in June 2028 for the 2029-30 academic years. Applications should be submitted via the ASM CPEP website.
Rotation Schedule
Four-week-long rotations are scheduled at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the Illinois Department of Health. Each rotation has defined goals and objectives and will cover all areas of clinical microbiology, including bacteriology, mycobacteriology, mycology, virology and parasitology.
Stipend
The stipend is commensurate with the fellow's Postgraduate Year (PGY) of training. Find stipend information via the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University site.
Why Northwestern?
Training at Northwestern University provides diverse and challenging clinical experiences and world-class education, located in the heart of the beautiful city of Chicago.
Watch a video to learn more about the fellowship experience at Northwestern:
Contact Us
We encourage you to contact micropathfellowship@northwestern.edu. All questions will be promptly answered by the Program Director.
Program Leadership
Program Director
Chao Qi, associate professor of Pathology and director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In addition to consulting medical staff in clinical microbiology and teaching residents and infectious diseases fellows, her clinical interests include advancing molecular pathogen detection, clinical application of rapid diagnostics, pathogenesis study of Mycobacterium avium associated respiratory infection, and Epidemiology study of multi-drug resistant pathogens. Her clinical research studies have generated more than 50 publications in the field of clinical microbiology. She is a member of American Society of Microbiology and Illinois Society of Microbiology.
Associate Program Director
Kendall Kling is an assistant professor in the departments of medicine and pathology in infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. His clinical interests include urinary tract infectious and transplant infectious diseases, and his clinical microbiology research interests include next-generation sequencing and urinary tract infection diagnostics. He is microbiology content leader for medical student education. He joined the complex urologic infections program at Northwestern August 2023.